Didier Reynders is pleased with the appointment of Said Djinnit as UN Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region

date: 22 July 2014

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Didier Reynders is pleased that UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed Said Djinnit as Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region in Africa. Said Djinnit has already served the African Union as Special Representative of the Secretary-General and as Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa. The Minister wishes him good luck and is convinced that his experience will be useful. Said Djinnit can count on the support of Belgium.

Furthermore, Didier Reynders is pleased that the EU Foreign Affairs Council has adopted the conclusions on the Great Lakes Region on 22 July. In these conclusions, the Council confirms that the European Union is committed to promote stability and development in this region. It emphasizes the progress that has been made in the last few months in the area of safety in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). But it reiterates that the actions of armed groups in the region need to stop and that the FDLR (Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda) need to be disarmed unconditionally. The Council also reiterated its commitment to ensuring a coherent approach in its partnerships with the countries in the region. Those countries are asked to respect the constitutional provisions in their next elections.